Westwood: We have to be at our best to beat DSK

Ashley Westwood said his side will be under no illusion when they take on the League’s new boys DSK Shivajians in an encounter that will have a big bearing on Bengaluru’s title chase, at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune, on Wednesday. Bengaluru FC are one point behind Mohun Bagan with two games in hand.

With only four games left to play for, Bengaluru are a just a point behind leaders Mohun Bagan, having played two games lesser. The Kolkata side, who conceded at the death in a 2-2 draw away to Shillong Lajong on Tuesday, have now picked up just one point their last three games. While a win against DSK would send the Blues two points clear at the top with a game in hand, the gaffer believes his side is well prepared for the challenge.

“We’re approaching the last two or three weeks of the season and we’ve got a big ten days in front of us. We play DSK then East Bengal and Salgaocar but we can only plan for the next game which is against DSK and we’ve done our homework and we’re well prepared,” said Westwood after the Blues’ training session on Tuesday.

Slow off the blocks, DSK have done well to get into a groove of their own and are on a five-game unbeaten run that includes impressive wins against East Bengal and Sporting Clube de Goa. “DSK are a difficult side to face as they’ve turned a corner. They’ve made a couple of good signings including the new Spanish boy (Juan Quero) who’s come in and made a difference. We’re under no illusion and we’ll have to be at our best to try and get something out of this game,” said the gaffer.

Bengaluru are on an impressive run of their own, winning three and drawing one from their last four games. Young Daniel Lalhlimpuia turned up with the winner against Mumbai FCon Saturday, going to show the kind of depth Bengaluru has. The win also marked the return of Eugeneson Lyngdoh from injury and the midfielder showed more than just a few glimpses of what he brings to the team.

On the injury front, skipper Sunil Chhetri could be in the reckoning after missing out on the Mumbai FC game with a sore groin. “We've done our work and the lads are in good form. We're hopeful of having a few more bodies back on the pitch for this game and a few more selection problems which is what you want at this stage of the season,” opined Westwood.

The game kicks off at 7.05 pm and will be aired live on the Ten Network.